The majority of truck driving schools do not have a traditional graduation ceremony. Hence no distinguished individuals are invited to give commencement addresses to the graduates. Four of us from my truck driving school graduated together, and I recall that we sat together and gave each other “high fives” when the school owner presented us with our training certificates. Even though no proud spectators were cheering us on, it was still enjoyable and exhilarating. However, it was all gone after just five or ten minutes together.
In our training, we were informed that because we were joining the truck driving industry, we should get accustomed to being called “Driver,” so we stopped using our given names and began addressing each other by “Driver.” Although we were unaware of the amount we still needed to study, we felt we had made a significant contribution. Being able to call each other “Driver” felt somewhat wonderful. We felt as if we had succeeded in achieving our objective. In light of these considerations, I would want to share with you the graduation speech I would deliver if someone ever asked me to speak to their graduating truck-driving students.
Let The Commencement Begin!
Congratulations! You did a good job. You completed a quick and frantic course in which you succeeded in accomplishing something that many people contemplate attempting but few do. Your commercial driver’s licence has been acquired. Once again, I congratulate you on acquiring that brand-new sparkling plastic in your pocket. It has the key that might open up many possibilities for you. It works like a magical card that grants you access to positions that are easily accessible and in great demand for qualified candidates.
It will also serve as your day of reckoning for some of you. There will be some difficult choices to make in the future. You may not be thinking about those choices right now. What firm to start with or what starting pay rate you want to accept is the main worry for most of you at this point. Although this day may seem extremely important to you right now, for the majority of you, it will not have a big impact in the long term.
I do not want to minimise your success, but I urge you to remain focused on the difficulties that still lie ahead. What you have accomplished so far represents some progress in a task that most people who try it greatly underappreciate and misunderstand. The success rates for truckers are extremely dismal. I am the only graduate of my truck driving school class to have pursued a career in the industry. None of my classmates who worked as professional drivers made it three months. And out of my first trucking orientation class, which consisted of around 65 individuals, only about three of us could hold a job for a full year. This is a 15% employment rate.
I am not attempting to terrify or demoralise you; I want to support you in achieving your objectives. I am a very happy and prosperous truck driver. I adore my work. To tear me away from it, wild horses would be required. Every day I look forward to seeing where my travels will lead me and eagerly anticipate achieving my goals and ambitions.
You see, I have a strong sense of purpose. Anything that stands in my path is seen as an opponent that must be defeated. I am a warrior out here engaged in a serious conflict. I will defeat any adversary that stands in my way because I am an American Road Warrior. You must adopt that mindset and energy to succeed in this place.
People might fail in this field for various reasons, but most of them stem from being completely unprepared for the challenges they face. I need you to be prepared to take action. I wish to see every one of you succeed in your task. I want to see you succeed as Road Warriors, overcoming and navigating the numerous obstacles that detour the masses to pursue this fulfilling profession in prosperity and happiness.
Although getting your CDL is a fantastic achievement, it is not the secret to success. It is a key to chance. You have an opportunity, but you must be able to take advantage of it. It must be attainable for you. In this line of work, nothing will be given to you. With perseverance and dedication, each step is gained. Do you still have the drive you used to get your CDL? Put pressure on the issues that impede your development by multiplying that amount several times. Set a steely tone for yourself and equip yourself with unwavering perseverance and commitment.
Ignore The Naysayers
Do not allow the doubters to sway your resolve or your choices. They are the weak ones that utterly misjudged what it takes to succeed in this line of work. They are worthless and should be avoided since they have nothing to offer you. They may be found at every turn and are like a plague on your transportation career. They relish dragging other people down with them because, as they say, “misery loves company”, and the bottom is a lonely place.
As you begin your profession, keep your heads up. In the realm of trade, you are a very valuable commodity. Everything comes to a standstill without you. You are the grease that keeps everything turning smoothly. In my view, you have a lot of potential for respect, and although many people do not appreciate the worth of a competent truck driver, you will discover that there are people in your chosen firm who will treat you like a king.
The fact that individuals I have never even met appear to recognise me at my workplace sometimes assails me. I periodically get a call from someone asking for something from me, and they make a statement about how important I am to the operation, even though I have never met them before. Even one of my company’s execs requested a meeting with me. If he had not started it, I would never have had the chance to meet that person.
Keep in mind this important aspect of respect. Having a CDL does not automatically qualify you for one. Respect must be earned, and those who can navigate the difficulties of this profession while projecting the image of fearless warriors will be able to demand it.
It’s Time To Perform
Performance-based work will always be a part of the trucking industry. That is why you desire to excel at this place. These are the individuals that succeed in this. The people who get all the unique benefits and extraordinarily kind treatment are the selected ones.
They do not get preference without justification. Instead, they made an effort and got outcomes that made others like and respect them. They do tasks, and they do it with little to no hassle to their bosses. They do not need their hands held and do not ask pointless inquiries to interrupt their supervisors’ important time. They kill snakes when they see them. They do something and receive a result (I am making an analogy here). They do not need to hold a meeting to determine what to do with the snake! They handle their affairs. They are genuine articles. They do not fake anything; instead, they stroll into the thick of the activity and conduct themselves as necessary.
As you pursue this vocation, make every effort to drive a truck with a results-oriented mindset. There is no faking it in trucking, as we like to say. Recall that saying, and keep it in your mind while pursuing this job. Your bosses can tell immediately whether someone is aware of the ideas required for success in this line of work.
How Does A Driver Become Valuable?
Some truck drivers just slug it out here, and their fleet managers, who are always attempting to keep them focused and profitable, are acutely aware of them. Then there are the successful people who seldom need any direction and consistently accomplish more than their contemporaries.
New drivers are unaware of a situation in trucking that seems unjust. Most freight is hauled by the greatest drivers, as you will discover. The Top Tier Drivers, or those with a proven track record of success, take pleasure in this phenomenon. They continually have more work on their plates, which results in more money in their paychecks.
Why is this perceived unfairness in the transportation sector so pervasive? because highly appreciated drivers are consistently productive and efficient.
Their management will do whatever it takes to keep them on staff. Employee retention is greatly improved by keeping these drivers occupied and earning those excellent payments. One of the unkind truths of trucking is this. These are the individuals that often whine and gripe on forums for truckers. They are currently having job difficulties as a consequence of their disappointing outcomes. They are now the lonely people at the bottom, and their only chance of making things less lonely is to bring others down with them.
I want to see you succeed to the highest levels possible here. I want to see you grow and become highly sought-after experts who stand out from the competition. The secret to that achievement lies with you. Although it will only provide options and open a few doors into your industry, the new CDL in your pocket means a lot. You are left alone when a door opens. You must be well-informed on how to go forward and enhance your career. To succeed in this sector, you must be determined and ready to make an uncommon effort. There are obstacles along the way, but there are also those who can overcome them.
Will you be one of the highly esteemed trucking industry professionals that never gives up and succeeds in a field where so many others have failed? I have faith in your ability, and I hope that some of my passion for sharing these concepts with you will result in your success.
Keep in mind that the majority of truck drivers you meet will not understand many of these concepts. If you accept them and keep them near while you seek this job, you will place yourself on a path that thousands of other would-be truck drivers have never experienced.
Possibly two or three out of every fifteen drivers here never grasp the idea of success, according to my dispatcher. Then he said, “I have to work extra hard with the other twelve or thirteen simply to keep them focused on what they should be doing.” Because they are never a problem to him, and he knows they will succeed no matter what he assigns them, the two or three people he never has to worry about get all the finest loads and treatment.
You will be well on your path to success if you aim to be the two or three people out of fifteen. I really hope you enjoy your work and are successful in your efforts to be the greatest!
